The Phenex library was not quiet.
That was the first thing Riser noticed.
It should have been—vast, ancient, filled with knowledge older than most devil families—but instead of silence, there was a constant, low presence in the air. The soft crackle of enchanted flames set into the walls. The faint rustle of pages turning themselves somewhere deep between the shelves. The distant hum of protective magic layered so thick it felt like standing inside a sleeping beast.
It wasn't loud.
But it wasn't empty either.
Riser stepped inside and let the doors close behind him with a heavy, final sound.
"…Right," he muttered. "This is more like it."
If strength alone solved everything, the world would have been simple.
It didn't.
Power systems. Bloodlines. Sacred Gears. Rating Games. Politics.
All of it mattered.
And right now, he understood only fragments.
That was dangerous.
He walked forward slowly, eyes moving across the towering shelves.
The organization was… intimidating.
Sections stretched outward in branching paths:
Devil Power SystemsEvil Pieces and Peerage StructureAlchemy and EnhancementCombat TheorySacred Gear ArchivesRestricted Knowledge
Riser paused in the center, hands in his pockets.
"…Let's not start with the things that will get me killed immediately."
Which meant no Restricted Section.
For now.
Devil Power Systems
He started with the basics.
The first book he pulled was thick, old, and slightly warm to the touch.
That was unsettling.
He opened it anyway.
Devils did not grow stronger the way humans did.
Not exactly.
There were multiple paths:
Demonic Power Growth (natural increase through age, battle, and training) Bloodline Amplification (inherent abilities like Phenex regeneration or Gremory destruction) Contracts (power gained through servants and connections) Artifacts / Sacred GearsRating Game Experience
Riser leaned against the shelf, flipping pages slowly.
"…So it's not linear."
That was the problem.
Strength in this world wasn't just more energy = more power.
It was layered.
Someone with less raw power could win through:
better control better abilities better team better strategy
Or just something completely broken.
His thoughts drifted immediately—
Boosted Gear.
He shut the book.
"…Not yet."
Too early for that headache.
Evil Pieces
Next shelf.
Smaller books.
More practical.
Riser picked one and flipped through it.
Evil Pieces were simple in concept.
One King.
Multiple pieces:
Pawns Knights Rooks Bishops Queen
Each piece granted power boosts depending on compatibility.
But the real value wasn't the boost.
It was the team.
Riser's expression shifted slightly.
Canon Riser had a peerage.
Strong.
Loyal.
Beautiful.
And completely wasted.
Used like decoration.
Used like tools.
Not like a team.
"…That won't happen again."
He leaned back against the shelf.
If he wanted to survive the future, he didn't just need power.
He needed:
fighters support intelligence loyalty
And more importantly—
People who chose him.
Not just obeyed him.
[System Note: Peerage system highly recommended.]
"…No kidding."
Alchemy Section
This one took longer.
Riser sat at a table this time, several books open in front of him.
Potion crafting.
Material refinement.
Body enhancement.
Most of it was… complicated.
Not impossible.
But not something he could master overnight.
Still—
There were patterns.
Enhancement potions fell into categories:
temporary boosts permanent but risky changes gradual reinforcement
The Draught of Iron Skin fell somewhere between the last two.
Painful.
Effective.
Dangerous if misused.
Riser tapped the page lightly.
"I'll need more of these."
Not just one potion.
A system.
A method to keep improving physically while everything else caught up.
Sacred Gear Archive
He hesitated here.
Actually hesitated.
That alone told him how important this section was.
"…Fine."
He stepped into it.
The air felt different.
Colder.
He pulled a book at random.
Sacred Gears were rare.
Powerful.
Unpredictable.
Some were strong.
Some were absurd.
And then—
There were the ones that didn't belong in reality.
His eyes moved down the page.
Longinus-Class Sacred Gears
Riser went still.
"…Found it."
He sat down slowly.
The description was brief.
Too brief.
Which somehow made it worse.
Longinus were anomalies.
Weapons capable of:
killing gods breaking systems surpassing limits
Each one was unique.
Each one was dangerous.
Each one could rewrite a battlefield.
Riser's eyes scanned faster now.
And then—
There it was.
Boosted Gear
His stomach dropped.
The description was simple.
Too simple.
A Sacred Gear capable of doubling the user's power at regular intervals.
"…That's it?"
No.
There was more.
There was always more.
He kept reading.
Growth potential: Extremely HighLimit: UndefinedDanger Level: Catastrophic if left unchecked
Riser leaned back slowly.
"…That's not a weapon."
That was a problem.
A growing one.
A compounding one.
A nightmare.
He stared at the page.
Ten seconds.
Double.
Ten seconds.
Double again.
And again.
And again.
Given enough time—
It didn't matter how strong you were.
You lost.
That was the truth of it.
Canon had proven it.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"…So I don't get time."
That was the conclusion.
Simple.
Terrifying.
Correct.
If he fought Issei—
He couldn't drag it out.
He couldn't test.
He couldn't play.
He couldn't be arrogant.
He needed:
overwhelming control overwhelming pressure and a way to end the fight fast
Or he lost.
Not "maybe."
Not "if."
He lost.
[System Observation: Host appears stressed.]
"Really?" Riser muttered. "What gave it away?"
He looked back down at the page.
Then closed the book.
Carefully.
Slowly.
As if slamming it shut would somehow make the problem real faster.
"…Alright."
He stood up.
His expression had changed.
No frustration.
No panic.
Just focus.
"If that's the enemy…"
Then the answer was obvious.
He needed:
better control faster output higher endurance and no wasted movement
And most importantly—
He needed to become someone who could end fights before they escalated.
Riser walked back toward the center of the library.
The weight of what he had learned settled into place.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Necessary.
At the entrance, he paused.
Looked back once at the shelves.
At the knowledge.
At the warnings.
"…Good."
Because now—
He knew exactly what kind of monster he was preparing to face.
And more importantly—
He knew what kind of monster he needed to become.